Final days in Laos for Griffith Group C

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Nursing – Griffith University
WRITTEN BY: Laura Boulogne

Day 11 or 'Monday blues':
Today, a lot of us were touched by fatigue and homesickness so the general mood was dragged down. However, we kept going and never stopped, and we closed the clinic at 3:30pm after seeing 145 patients. That night, we had a team meeting, a few chocolates, a good debrief and got the general mood right back up.

Day 12 or ‘So many cute babies and pregnant mums!’:
This morning was cold but as the sun set, we warmed up and kept working at a rapid pace. By lunchtime, we had seen more than half of our triaged patients. Today was a good day for everyone and we all worked well under Maddy’s supervision. I had a few interesting cases like a suspected heart block, lymphatic cancer, hypertension with a BP of 200/95 and a few common colds, UTIs and chest infections. The 101 patients we saw today meant we had an early finish and we had everything all packed up by 3:30 so we jumped in the trucks and headed home.

Tomorrow will be our last clinic day and it gave me food for thought. It has been such an interesting trip! I have learnt so much about myself, my goals, limits and qualities in nursing; I have modified my assessment so much to adapt it to the Laos community and this trip was extremely good for me because now I know that I can apply my new knowledge about different cultures to help me treat people from all different backgrounds when working in hospitals back home.

Most of all, I have to say that I have learnt to trust myself, trust my instinct and trust that I have the knowledge and the skills required to be a good nurse and to assess patients of all ages and to work in a multidisciplinary team of health care workers and translators.

Day 13 or ‘Last clinic day’:
The clinic went really well this Wednesday and Celise was our last team leader. As she made her speech, I tried to remember our very first clinic and it reminded me how far we had come since day one. Just as I had opened the first clinic with maternity education, I opened this one with Lizzie, Tiffany and Elisabeth C playing the role of a pregnant mom giving birth. We saw a few more than 75 patients today.

Day 14 or ‘Sex education day’:
Today we went to Ban Pak Seng's high school to teach Sex Education. Divided in groups of girls and boys, our team educated them on the reproductive system, contraception and menstruation.
The girls sessions went well as we explained how puberty changes us physically, emotionally and our personality. As we moved on towards periods and menstrual cycles, we observed the girls writing questions on the paper we had given them. After giving out the girls day packs and talking about STIs and sex safety, we answered questions and realised how little the Laos High School students knew about sex and their own bodies.

Lunchtime rang and we headed up to our head quarters to sort through all the boxes and got our donation bags ready. The rest of the day was the closing ceremony, a game of volleyball, and bacci at the high school as well as the award ceremony with the teachers. I got the translator award as I had been translating all of the French signs.

Day 15 or ‘Blessings at the village and to the bouddha caves we went’:
Today we had a traditional Barsi ceremony as we got blessings from the inhabitants of Ban Pak Seng. We left with the flowers and travelled down the mountain toward the Mekong. We visited the Bouddha’s caves and placed the flowers on one of the altars. We went back to Luang Prabang by boat and cruised down the Mekong. We all enjoyed our last day together as a group and got ready for our final weekend of exploration. Sadly, Allison and Cara were be leaving us early and were going to have to say our goodbyes to them tomorrow.

Exploring Luang Prabang

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Nursing – Griffith University
WRITTEN BY: Laura Boulogne

Day Six or 'Down by the riverside': 
Today we packed up the trucks and after a visit to the military hospital, we drove five hours to our host village, down the mountains and along the river. We had such a beautiful welcome, and all of us were covered with flowers bouquets made by the school kids as we listened to the Chief's welcome. They humbly received us and thanked us for choosing to come to Laos and to stay in their village for a week.

It was after we had settled in that we heard the news, there was bonfire on tonight that we would get to dance at. All of the kids had gathered around the fire by the time we arrived and were playing with our team. Soon, we were all mixing and enjoying the night with many traditional dances and a few Aussie ones too. Two hours later, we finished the night all jumping around and dancing to Pink's 'So What?' We were all tired but so content, we had big smiles on our faces as we headed to bed.

Day Seven or 'Teaching how to brush your teeth by the river': 
The clinic opened in one of the poorest villages yet, as we struggled to get tables and benches . Here, people have simple houses and are all farmers in the mountains. As the education sessions start, some of us headed towards the river with the sixty village children to start teaching them how to wash their hands and brush their teeth. The kids were so beautiful and loved the soap so much that they started washing their bodies and faces in the river.  The clinic went really well and Ella led the dance. The village has 230 residents and we treated around 120 patients with many disorders. Sadly, the main disorders where due to dehydration or labor muscle pain from working long hours. As we packed up, the sun was high and we all planned to swim in the river back to our host village.

Day Eight or 'A shooting star': 
Today, we saw 150 patients go through triage as we set up our clinic in our home village. Fatemeh was team leader and she did her best to distract all the cute babies whilst directing us all, we all did an awesome job. By the time four o'clock rung, we were all packed and waiting to receive our half-way feedback. Everything seemed positive and on the way to accomplishment. I couldn't believe that we are already midway. What a journey! At diner, we all debriefed and chatted about our day, the interesting cases we had and what to plan for tomorrow's clinic. It is very interesting to realise how much we had all bonded and how we were a team working towards the same goal, helping the Laos community. After dinner, we grabbed torches and sweaters to walk down the river and observe the stars in the night. The sky was so clear we could all see Mars, the big and small saucepans, parts of the Milky Way as well as the North Pole star.


Day Nine or 'The night of the thousand blessings': 
As we woke up and went to breakfast, we could feel that something was in the air in the village. It was only after the clinic that we realised that we were going to have a beautiful ceremony tonight. The clinic went well and we treated 79 patients under Kayla's leadership. This village showed interesting cases such as presumed tuberculosis, emphysema, ear and chest infections. As we got home, we all spent some time with our families before going from house to house to have blessing ceremonies and receive cotton bracelets. It was very touching and we all felt warmth in our hearts and tears in our eyes as the village said their goodbyes to our group. Back home after the ceremonies, we exchanged gifts and talked about Australia and our lives.

Day Ten or 'Cooking and rafting it is':
Today the whole village was awake and busy as the first rays of sun shone. A big meeting was set in the village's community centre as we all packed our bags, ready to head back to Luang Prabang. After breakfast, we headed to four villager's houses to learn to cook different meals that we would all share for lunch. My group headed to my home stay to cook chicken salad with banana flowers, garlic, dill, coriander and mint. We all gathered and tried each others meals as we were prepared to raft down the Suang River. Rafting was a new experience and we split into groups of three to travel down to the next village with. The river sides were beautiful and the kids waved at us as we left our home village.

Off in the trucks we went for a weekend of exploring or relaxation in Luang Prabang.

Griffith Group C Arrive in Stunning Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Nursing – Griffith University
WRITTEN BY: Laura Boulogne
After numerous goodbyes to our families, our trip from Brisbane to Luang Prabang in Laos started with Liz, our facilitator, helping a patient with food poisoning while flying at 20 000 feet. Very little did we know that it wouldn't be the first clinic that we would work at up in the clouds.

Landing in Luang Prabang we had a tour of this beautiful city and its temples. Our guide took us around the Mekong and the Suang river as well as across the city in the night markets.
Sunday morning after a night of heavy rain the decision was made not to drive up to the host families in remote Laos, 2000m high up the mountains due to the muddy slippery roads. Stop is set in Ban Pak Seng, the center of the district where we will hold our clinics. 

Day one – Freezing, up in the clouds we went

For our first day of clinic we went up to a small village at about 600m ASL. Today it will reach sub zero temperatures, and everyone is wearing as many layers as they can. Many tried to buy gloves, socks and coats at the local markets to give themselves a sense of warmth. At this stage it rained for 48h and the rain just calmed leaving us with a cold wind…very far from the 30 degrees of the weekend. Thus we are all freezing under our scarves as we pack up the trucks and head up to the mountains on narrow road surrounded by cliffs displaying the most beautiful and purely natural views of the mountains.

As we enter the village we can all witness the poverty of the inhabitants: small wooden house, no real infrastructures, kids and parents with very little clothing and footwear on the icy dirt ground. Here we are setting the clinic in a one-room building with a cement floor, roof and two walls: this is going to be an interesting first day!

As the day goes by our team leader Tiffany runs the clinic and direct us all towards completion, we saw a hundred patients. Temperatures are now reaching below zero and the rain started again. Today has been hard on us and our patients, their temperature weren't easy to take, we had to shyly ask them to undress to auscultate them in this cold, we could not find their pulses... However, we are all feeling humble facing our happy and respectful patients, they did not complain nor argued and kept a smile on their faces as they thank us: Khop Jai Lai Lai.

After a nice warm dinner that night we all headed to bed under a pile of blankets.

Day two – Australia Day

Today we are heading to breakfast in the rain. To keep being productive and not waste any second we all unpacked our donation bags and started re-arranging all the clinical boxes to be ready for the next clinics. Medications are being sorted and counted, clothes and shoes packed, toothbrushes, toothpaste and soaps in our education bags and our assessment boxes filled up. Some of us wore Australia Day caps and temporary tattoos as we worked.

The afternoon is spent with a meeting where we all debriefed our experience at the clinic, our expectations, goals and hopes for this placement.


Day three – to the hospital we go

All clinics up the mountains have been cancelled for this week, we are all feeling sad not to be able to see and help so many villages. It's Kayla's birthday today and we sing as we hope for the rain to stop. As we head to the hospital, hope comes as the sun peaks out, warming us all on this cold morning. Visiting Pak Seng’s hospital many of us decide that we cannot complain about Queensland Health and our western hospital anymore! These people have nothing in the hospital and yet they are fairly healthy and living vibrant lives. As the afternoon sets some of us go to the centre of the village and start kicking the ball with a few kids, the next minute is it five of us nurses against thirty kids playing soccer, frisbee and volley, what a beautiful dry afternoon!

The day concluded with a pumpkin cake for Kayla and a good night sleep.


Day four – back to work

Today we held a clinic in Ban Pak Seng where we reside, about 53 families came to see us as we treat GIT disorders, chest infections, cold as flus as well as visual disorders with glasses. We are all feeling content to be able to do what we are here for and help the villagers.

As we head to dinner we meet a lot of girls dressed in beautiful traditional gowns and music can be heard in the background. While eating we all debrief about the clinic, what was done well and what could be modified to provide the best care. Alex, our team leader reflects on today and congratulates us on treating 104 patients before an announcement is being made: the children of the village will dance for us tonight.

Demonstrations of the five traditional Lao dances are made and we all look at them in awe. These dances are really graceful and the silky traditional costumes are complimenting their movements. Inviting us to join them some of us become Lao dancer just for the night. When our turn comes to teach them a dance, the Nut Bush was our choice and we all cracked on laughing at the end. Another beautiful night in Laos finished with us all going to join the dancers in their bamboo dance.


Day five – above the clouds under the sunlight

Today I wake up with a certain sense of excitement, and it hasn't rained since yesterday night. Last night we were advised that a dry night meant that we could go and help up in the mountains today. All of us are feeling relieved and hope for a full day of sunshine for us to go up to the village, do our clinic and come down the mountain safely. Today is our last clinical day of the week before we drive back to Luang Prabang for the weekend.

We drive far above the clouds to discover Ban Nung Kam, our clinic home. This village has a population of 630 and they are giving us a warm welcome as the children all line up in front of us. As the clinic starts I go with the antenatal team to check the pregnant women of the Ban Nung Kam. Thankfully all of them are healthy and foetal hearts are amazing to hear. As we wrap up the clinic and head back on the trucks, Juliette, team leader, announces that 154 patients is our count for the day.


The first major challenge I have witnessed on this trip was today, a woman burned her foot by the fire two nights ago and because of the roads she could not get help in the districts hospital. She was in a state of sepsis, tachycardia, arrhythmia, and as we gave her antibiotics we knew that there wasn't anything else we could do.

It is a bittersweet night for me as we all join for dinner enjoying the warm dawn and the feeling of going back to Luang Prabang tomorrow for a weekend of exploration.

Griffith University Nursing Students Provide Valuable Healthcare and Promotion in Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing, Health Promotion
WRITTEN BY: Amy Bennett, Griffith University

The day had finally arrived! The third and final group of nursing students from Griffith University were ready to travel over 13, 000 km to Laos to conduct health clinics and health education in the villages along the Seaung River Valley. After 10 hours of travel, our group of 16 students and 4 teachers met up with our wonderful guides at Luang Prabang airport where we were packed into tuk tuks and whisked away to our first stop of the trip, where we met up with group B!

We spent the weekend in Luang Prabang relaxing and taking in the sites. Sunday morning saw us packing the tuk tuks and beginning the 4 hour ride to our village homestay, which was nestled right on the river and surrounded by beautiful, lush mountains! We received a warm welcome from the children of the village and the chief who were all overjoyed to see us!


After settling in to our homestays, exploring our home of the next 6 days and working out the squat toilets, it was time to get down to the business of sorting through our clinic items and donation bags, ready to begin our work with villages who have had little or no access to healthcare.

The 5 clinic days saw us learning, educating and delivering basic health care to an overwhelming number of people and experiencing how the majority of the world lives first hand!

The end of week 1 saw us saying goodbye to our village homestay and saying hello to our home in Pak Xeng for the next 5 days. Our home in Pak Xeng saw us delivering clinics and health promotion to a number of remote villages along the river and up into the mountains!

On our first day in Pak Xeng, the team was woken up to the loudest wedding in history! Pak Xeng was bustling with guests and visitors and our team of 20 as we explored the town. The weather, which we were becoming accustomed to, was refreshingly cool in the morning and warm during the day which made for the perfect day to relax and prepare for the next 4 days of clinics. Tuesday was one of our busiest days at clinic with the assessment teams assessing and treating 104 patients and conducting health checks on an unknown number of infants, children and extended family members. Wednesday saw our group travel up into the mountains to reach the villages of Nong Kham, Nad Kham and Houay Wat.

The trip into these villages took over an hour in the mornings, which meant early starts for the group. Although it was early, the drive up into the mountains was amazingly picturesque! We travelled up above the level of the clouds and often caught the sunrise on the way up. The roads and weather proved challenging for our experienced tuk tuk drivers with one breaking down twice on the way up the mountains! These drives up the mountain were when we experienced some seriously cold weather with temperatures nearing single digits! The four clinics saw us assessing, health-checking and treating over 400 local people which was an amazing effort from our team of students, facilitators, interpreters and health care workers!

Our third week began by returning to Pak Xeng after a wonderful 3 days relaxing, shopping and doing the ‘tourist thing’ in Luang Prabang. With two clinics left, the group was beginning to realize it was coming to an end. Monday’s clinic saw us returning to the mountains in bitterly cold weather to the highest village on the trip.

The clinic was conducted in a one-room hall, which was bustling, loud and at times chaotic. The return to Pak Xeng in the mid-afternoon saw the group being invited to Pak Xeng High school to be guests at a cultural event and dance. The students graciously danced with us and taught us a number of Lao dances. The night also saw our group singing and dancing for the students with our rendition of the national anthem and the Macarena.

We returned to the high school the next day, with half of our group conducting sexual education sessions, and the remaining students conducting the clinics. Before we began, we were welcomed by the students, teachers and the director of Pak Xeng high school. We were presented with certificates of appreciation and in turn, we presented the students with three donation bags for the students who spend the week living in the ‘dormitory’ accommodation at the school.

Griffith University team wrap up in Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing, Health Promotion
WRITTEN BY: Jourdan Lofthouse, Griffith University

All good things come to an end, right? Well in our case, that's half correct. Group A have now left Laos leaving Group B to pick up where we left off. Group B will go deeper into the mountains and brave the cold.

Group A saw a total of 1350 villagers in some 10 villages. The most common complaint was back and neck pain (from farming for hours on end). We saw around 40 pregnant mothers and gave a month supply of folic acid and iron. Jess, midwifery student was able to perfect her auscultation skills without the mod cons we are normally afforded in Australia. I know you are wondering about the two patients we sent to Luang Prabang to get treated. Well so are we! The hernia repair and cataract removal have been completed but yet to know of the recovery process.

Group B will be following this closely and providing further assistance in the form of medication and pain relief when they arrive. The goodbye and bhasee ceremony was an incredible spiritual journey of health and happiness well wishes. It was sad to say goodbye but so rewarding to know we made such a huge impact.

On reflection, we learnt the correlation between education and health is strongly linked. It is our dream that one day each and every villager will have access to primary healthcare. It is a basic human right that is so easily forgotten when living in such a fortunate country. Although our impact was small, it won't ever be forgotten.

Thank you Laos for your hospitality and kindness, we look forward to returning when we are fully fledged Registered Nurses!

Jourdan and the Griffith University team

Griffith University in Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing, Health Promotion
WRITTEN BY: Jourdan Lofthouse, Griffith University

The day finally arrived, the day we were all waiting and planning for: the day our journey began. There was excitement, tears, laughter, joy and nerves as we went down the departure escalator at Brisbane International Airport. We made it to Bangkok on the very first day of the Kings Birthday celebrations. The night sky was filled with an array of beautiful night lights and the streets were buzzing with life. After a good nights rest we were on our way to Luang Prabang, Laos. The descent amongst the mountains and rice fields was truly magical. It was a touchdown, our home for the next three weeks.

We were greeted with open arms by Chipsing, Kk and Kl our interpreters. The open-air trucks were stocked with our bags, clinic supplies and donations before departing to the city centre. We were given a city tour and visited a local temple built in the 1500s. Kk myth busted the pronunciation of Laos as we learnt that the S is in fact not silent. Lao people and language is pronounced without the S.

It was our last chance to use a Western toilet and a hot shower. We were just two hours away from our first week of placement in Pak Xeng village. Face masks and scarves in hand, we began our journey along the windy, dusty road. It was teeming with life as we passed through the many villages. We saw children lining up in the distance as they prepared for our arrival. We walked through a welcome line of flowers and songs as the village cheered our arrival. The chief and healthcare workers welcomed and thanked us for supporting them over the past 6 years.

We were then placed in our home stays and given our beds on the ground. A few toss and turns worked a treat before exhaustion kicked in. Our first day of clinic saw our language abilities quickly improve. The word 'jip' meaning pain became a commonly used word. We gave analgesics for manual handling related injuries as the farmers worked hard to harvest their crops. Health promotion on the importance of pre-stretching and correct body position were also shown.

A young 8 year old girl with a peculiar white right eye lens was sent to Luang Prabang with donation money. After a few attempts at getting her on a local tuk tuk into town (they fill to the brim!) and blood tests we were told that she would have to wait until next week. It appears to be a cataract that can be treated for around $400. We are also sending a chief of a village with a hernia to be repaired next week. We'll know the outcomes next week and I hope to be the bearer of great news when they come!

Week 2 has seen our amazing group cumulatively treat 500 people! This nursing placement is all about learning, right? We've learnt some important new clinical skills, as well as how to live by the chilled 'Laos time'. Our group also learnt that Laos was once the land of a million elephants. We went on a day trip and discovered that elephants really like water and will dunk you at any chosen time! We saw incredible waterfalls and rode on elephants in their natural habitat. Yesterday saw us rafting down the white waters of the Mekong Delta on bamboo slabs. Luckily, we had locals steering us or I'm sure we would have ended up in the South China Sea! We will head out for our last week of placement this afternoon after one last hot shower and Western toilet.

Apoh village is around 3 hours by open air tuk tuk from the city and apparently quite the picture. We look forward to sharing our last blog with you next week.

Until then, soktee!

Jourdan and the Griffith University team

Griffith Business School prepare for Laos community development placement

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Aisling Brennan, Griffith University Business Faculty

The Griffith Business School Leader team’s Laos Community Development adventure is right around the corner. Some of us have packed, some of us haven’t (mainly just me) and we couldn’t be more excited. Or nervous. Or hopeful. Or most likely all of the above!

This past semester has been a pretty big one for most of us so our feelings are kind of all over the place. One thing is for certain though, we can’t wait to arrive in Luang Prabang and see where this adventure will take us.

As a team, we’ve been working hard to get organised for our trip to Laos. We’ve been fundraising by supplying most of the student and staff population of Griffith University with chocolate, baking, and sausages, dancing to the early hours of the morning at a cocktail fundraising event, and even one of our fabulous team members, Bec Piper ran a half marathon! Along with getting all the necessary jabs, finding the perfect suit case and collecting a lot of physical donations like children’s books and clothes, we’ve had a busy lead up to our trip to Laos. And I think we’re ready.

While we are in the country we will be conducting a community needs assessment on how tourism can help alleviate poverty in the Seuang River Valley, in the Pak Xeng District Authority. The majority of the population do not have access to adequate health care, housing and sanitation. As a team, we will be conducting meetings with relevant community leaders, district officials, education and health professionals to discuss future development possibilities for local communities. As well as documenting these meetings, we will be working on the renovation of Pak Xeng High School. We will be renovating two classrooms.

There’s a lot to do and a lot to achieve while we are in country and once we return. So let the adventure begin!

A week of firsts for Griffith University nurses

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Josea Brown, Griffith University

Coming back from the villages we arrived at our hotel and wasted no time in getting to our rooms and having a hot (or for those of us less fortunate, lukewarm) showers! Dinner over the weekend consisted of walking across a questionable, rickety bamboo bridge that looked like it would collapse under the weight of a feather, leaving us to swim in the dark. Fortunately it held all our weight. The rest of the weekend was then spent shopping at the various markets in Luang Prabang, spoiling ourselves with $15 full body massages and treating ourselves to a 'snake shot' (which also consisted of gecko and millipedes)! Sadly, our weekend in luxury was short-lived as we left the city on Sunday afternoon and headed back to the villages for a week of clinic.

A day in the clinic
Our day starts off with a cold open-truck ride to one of the villages. Upon arrival we are welcomed by the villagers and given bouquets of flowers by the children as we walk through a 'guard of honour'. We then line up at the front, facing the villagers and receive an official welcome address from the village chief or deputy. Pride emanates from the chief as he speaks of his village and the people. From the welcome speeches, we have witnessed that the Lao are a very proud people. Proud of their culture, their heritage and their history.

Next up it's our turn to talk as two students present a donation bag filled with toys, clothes and school supplies. The children's faces light up as a soccer ball is pulled out and an excited chorus of 'Ohhhh!' fills the air. The village elders gladly accept the donation bag with sincere appreciation. After the official welcome some of us run health promotion sessions, whilst others set up the clinic (usually in the classrooms). The villagers then disperse into their related health promotion sessions: the women attend the mother's and bubs/maternity sessions where breastfeeding, antenatal care and birthing are spoken about (and they get to witness a student 'give birth' [see picture]), while the men learn about proper manual handling techniques and back exercisers and the children are educated on proper hand washing, teeth brushing and coughing/spitting.

Then, madness begins! Reception/Triage is swamped as a multitude of villagers line up to be seen. In reception the students get their Lao on as we ask them questions in Lao. After reception (and if there's a line) the people sit in the waiting area until Crowd Control ushers them in to Assessment (and from what I've gathered crowd control is mayhem!). At assessment there are 3 students, a translator and a health care worker all working together to help the people they see. Here they tell us what's wrong and after a few questions and some investigating, a diagnosis is made and if needed medications are prescribed. They are then off to Pharmacy, where (as you have probably guessed) the medication is kept and dispensed. At pharmacy, reading glasses (which were donated) are also given to villagers when needed. We're finding that a lot of the people here are needing the lower strength glasses (+1.25 to +2.00) as we quickly ran out of them. In both assessment and pharmacy the villagers are given instructions regarding their treatment regime (i.e. take 1 tablet 2x a day for 10 days) and are translated in Lao in case they forget. They then head home, usually with a look of relief on their faces. :)

This week was a week of firsts for most of us.

- On Monday we saw our first colostomy bag in Laos. It wasn't unlike the ones back at home, however, we were surprised to see one here in Laos (in the 5 years this program has been running we hadn't yet seen such a sophisticated operation out in the villages). Unfortunately, the lady (who is only 23 years old) could no longer afford medical treatment and had to go home with the bag. Therefore, as a group we are trying to see if it is possible to help pay for her next (and hopefully last) operation. Will keep you updated.

- Tuesday saw us eating buffalo meat and fried river weed (actually yummier than it sounds)! There is a chance we may have already eaten buffalo meat on this trip, but this was the first time we had been informed about it.

- Wednesday was one of the group member's birthday (happy birthday Amanda!) and we asked if it would be possible to have something special for her, a cake perhaps. What came out was a pumpkin based/decorated cake with sticky rice. It was delicious (especially for those of us who love our pumpkin) and was a wonderful treat after dinner.

- Thursday night the people in the Pak Seng held a Baci (Baa-zi) Ceremony for us to wish us well on our way. It was unlike anything we had ever experienced. Our home stay family gave us a scarf as a gift and the we sat in a circle, were given a glass of beer to drink and a plate of food (a boiled egg, banana and a packet of chips or cake). After wards white string was tied onto our wrists to symbolise strength and give us good luck on our travels. After the ceremony we danced the night away! :)

- Friday was our activities day. We tried our hand at weaving, cooking a traditional Lao dish and bamboo rafting. With weaving the women make it look a lot easier than it is! It's quite fiddly and hand-eye-foot coordination is needed. After our quick 30 minute session (which was just enough time to get the hang of things...kinda) we had all developed a new-found respect and admiration for the weavers and look at the scarves and skirts with awe-like wonder.

Cooking, on the other hand, was a little bit easier/more manageable. In our smaller groups we each made a separate dish for lunch; pork tomato sauce, vegetable stir-fry, vegetable soup, pork noodles and a potato-based coconut milk dessert (these dishes have Lao names, but unfortunately I have forgotten them). Needless to say, lunch tasted great! :)

Next up was Bamboo rafting in the Suang river. It was beautiful. Sitting on the bamboo rafts (some of which were being made as we arrived) we were able to relax in the serene beauty that Laos had to offer -- pure mountainous grasslands and forests all along the river. Then after some time we decided to jump in (although some of us were pushed) and have a swim. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

After rafting we went back to our village and said good bye to our home stay family. This was a bit sadder than we had anticipated. Despite the little communication we had with our home stay family (due to the language barrier) they had touched us and will leave a lasting impression in our lives.

We're now at the hotel getting some much needed rest. Good bye until next week!

Photo 1. A student (Elise) giving birth during the women's health promotion
Photo 2. A student (Jackie) being taught how to weave by our home stay mother

Then, Madness Begins! Griffith University Students Living in Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Josea Brown, Griffith University

Coming back from the villages we arrived at our hotel and wasted no time in getting to our rooms and having a hot (or for those of us less fortunate, lukewarm) shower! Dinner over the weekend consisted of walking across a questionable, rickety bamboo bridge that looked like it would collapse under the weight of a feather, leaving us to swim in the dark. Fortunately it held all our weight. The rest of the weekend was then spent shopping at the various markets in Luang Prabang, spoiling ourselves with $15 full body massages and treating ourselves to a 'snake shot' (which also consisted of gecko and millipedes)! Sadly, our weekend in luxury was short-lived as we left the city on Sunday afternoon and headed back to the villages for a week of clinic.

A day in the Clinic
Our day starts off with a cold, open-truck ride to one of the villages. Upon arrival we are welcomed by the villagers and given bouquets of flowers by the children as we walk through a 'guard of honour'. We then line up at the front, facing the villagers to receive an official welcome address from the village chief or deputy. Pride emanates from the chief as he speaks of his village and the people. From the welcome speeches, we have witnessed that the Lao are very proud people. Proud of their culture, their heritage and their history.

Next up it's our turn to talk as two students present a donation bag filled with toys, clothes and school supplies. The children's faces light up as a soccer ball is pulled out and an excited chorus of 'Ohhhh!' fills the air. The village elders gladly accept the donation bag with sincere appreciation. After the official welcome some of us run health promotion sessions, whilst others set up the clinic (usually in the classrooms). The villagers then disperse into their related health promotion sessions: the women attend the mother's and bubs/maternity sessions where breastfeeding, antenatal care and birthing are spoken about (and they get to witness a student 'give birth'), while the men learn about proper manual handling techniques and back exercisers and the children are educated on proper hand washing, teeth brushing and coughing/spitting.

Then, madness begins! Reception/triage is swamped as a multitude of villagers line up to be seen. In reception the students do their best to ask them questions in Lao. After reception (and if there's a line) the people sit in the waiting area until crowd control ushers them into assessment (and from what I've gathered crowd control is mayhem!).

At assessment there are three students, a translator and a health care worker all working together to help the people they see. Here they tell us what's wrong and after a few questions and some investigating, a diagnosis is made and if needed medications are prescribed. They are then off to pharmacy, where (as you have probably guessed) the medication is kept and dispensed. At pharmacy, reading glasses (which were donated) are also given to villagers when needed. We're finding that a lot of the people here are needing the lower strength glasses (+1.25 to +2.00) as we quickly ran out of them. In both assessment and pharmacy the villagers are given instructions regarding their treatment regime (i.e. take 1 tablet 2x a day for 10 days) and are translated in Lao in case they forget. They then head home, usually with a look of relief on their faces.

This week
This week was a week of firsts for most of us.

- On Monday we saw our first colostomy bag in Laos. It wasn't unlike the ones back at home, however, we were surprised to see one here in Laos (in the five years this program has been running we hadn't yet seen such a sophisticated operation out in the villages). Unfortunately, the lady (who is only 23 years old) could no longer afford medical treatment and had to go home with the bag. Therefore, as a group we are trying to see if it is possible to help pay for her next (and hopefully last) operation. Will keep you updated.

- Tuesday saw us eating buffalo meat and fried river weed (actually yummier than it sounds)! There is a chance we may have already eaten buffalo meat on this trip but this was the first time we had been informed about it.

- Wednesday was one of the group member's birthday (happy birthday Amanda!) and we asked if it would be possible to have something special for her, a cake perhaps. What came out was a pumpkin based/decorated cake with sticky rice. It was delicious (especially for those of us who love our pumpkin) and was a wonderful treat after dinner.

- Thursday night the people in Pak Seng held a Baci (Baa-zi) ceremony for us to wish us well on our way. It was unlike anything we had ever experienced. Our home stay family gave us a scarf as a gift and then we sat in a circle, were given a glass of beer to drink and a plate of food (a boiled egg, banana and a packet of chips or cake). Afterwards white string was tied onto our wrists to symbolise strength and give us good luck on our travels. After the ceremony we danced the night away!

- Friday was our activities day. We tried our hand at weaving, cooking a traditional Lao dish and bamboo rafting. With weaving the women make it look a lot easier than it is! It's quite fiddly and hand-eye-foot coordination is needed. After our quick 30 minute session (which was just enough time to get the hang of things...kinda) we had all developed a new-found respect and admiration for the weavers and look at the scarves and skirts with awe-like wonder.

Cooking, on the other hand, was a little bit easier/more manageable. In our smaller groups we each made a separate dish for lunch; pork tomato sauce, vegetable stir-fry, vegetable soup, pork noodles and a potato-based coconut milk dessert (these dishes have Lao names, but unfortunately I have forgotten them). Needless to say, lunch tasted great! :)

Next up was Bamboo rafting in the Suang river. It was beautiful. Sitting on the bamboo rafts (some of which were being made as we arrived) we were able to relax in the serene beauty that Laos had to offer - pure mountainous grasslands and forests all along the river. Then after some time we decided to jump in (although some of us were pushed) and have a swim. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

After rafting we went back to our village and said good bye to our home stay family. This was a bit sadder than we had anticipated. Despite the little communication we had with our home stay family (due to the language barrier) they had touched us and will leave a lasting impression on our lives.

We're now at the hotel getting some much needed rest. Good bye until next week!

Griffith Nursing students have arrived in Laos!

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Gabby Smith, Photography by Josh Bakkum, Griffith University

First blog for the 2014 trip exciting!!! First of all I'd like to say there are no words or information that will prepare you for what your walking into. As much as I myself researched, looked up and googled I was still taken by surprise. I'm hoping this blog however, will give you just the slightest of idea's of what to expect; help you with your decision to go or help you decide where you would like to volunteer.

But lets start at the beginning, as we all rock up to the Brissy airport the excitement could be felt in the air. We all still had no idea who each other was or if we would even get along, which of course made us all a little nervous. We waved our families and loved ones goodbye and made it through customs without a hiccup. Most of us decided to treat ourselves to a little luxury before we took off. After exchanging names and getting to know each other a little we boarded the plane to Bangkok with coffee in our bellies.
After making it safely through Bangkok airport with our stiff legs we got on our bus to our hotel. Now luggage is an issue considering all of us had a donations bag as well as our own check in luggage and a carry on. We did look like pack mules walking through the airport. Arriving in the hotel we separated into pairs for the rooms and made our way up to our rooms. Our stay in Bangkok was short lived, as we dragged our weary bodies out of bed the next morning; all of us did end up going for a little walk around town that night; for our breakfast then back onto the bus. We battled our way through the airport again with our big bulky bags. With some time to kill we decided to devour into some more luxuries like a massive burger from burger king (whopper girl) or a Starbucks coffee. We were all thankful the next flight to Luang Prabang was short lived. This was our first glance at what to expect in the villages. It is very different to Australia. Luang Prabang was a lot bigger than I had originally thought. It is actually quite a lively place. The hotel is luxury since we were all expecting something a little third world; we were all surprised to see a western toilet in the rooms. We all fell in love with the place after our city tour, there is so much culture and rich history around you can't help but immerse yourself in it.


After our lovely weekend in Luang Prabang we packed the open backed trucks and headed north for Pak Xeong. What a trip. It lasts around 2.5 - 3 hours. The road is rocky, dusty and narrow. We had motor bikes and other truck to contend with. There was more than a few close calls as a bikes and trucks pass us, we also felt like we were living on the edge with how close we got to the edge of the cliff.; very hair raising. Now a handy HINT for the trucks: pack a scarf as it does get very dusty, sunnies (obviously) and a small pillow, a little neck pillow is probably the best. This is just because of the jarring factor. the roads get worse and worse as you get further north, going out to the villages everyday can become very trying on your back.
We arrived safely in Pak Xeong all a little worse for wear but rearing to go. The kids greeted us with flowers and the traditional Sa Bai Dee = hello. After organising ourselves that afternoon we spent a night with the children. What an amazing night we all played games (crossed swords), sung songs, and laughed the night away.

The next few days were clinics for us out at the villages further north. Walking into the villages the poverty hits you like a ton of bricks but, everyone is so happy - all the kids have the biggest smiles on their faces, as they giggle and play with you. Even the adults are constantly smiling. It's full on. Back to the basic nursing and midwifery care. A few of us do health promotion while the others set up the clinic, which is usually held in a school, and we rotate. We split up the jobs as well when the clinic is running, two on reception, one on height and weight, three on bp,temp and pulse, six on assessment, two in treatment/antenatal and one on pharmacy. We work along side the health care workers and of course our amazing translators Cheng, Sung, Lee, Chip Seung and Bee; who put up with our shenanigans and our bad pronunciation. And again we rotate through the jobs. The clinics are always packed. We see around 40-50 families which is around 100 -150 people everyday!! We are all thoroughly enjoying everything we are doing and can't wait to get back out into the villages for another week.

Working on assessment we assess the clients wellbeing, asking what they may have problems with. A man came in and said he had problems with his eyesight, after further examination we established he did not have cataracts he just could not see short distances. So we got out some glasses for him to try on, when he found the right set that was for him the biggest smile, that will warm your heart, broke out on his face. He said he could see clearly again.
In the treatment room a woman was undergoing a prenatal assessment, since she was a fair way into her pregnancy we could use the doppler to hear her baby's heart beat. When we found it again words cant really do just to the joy that was written on her face, this was the first time she had heard her baby's heart beat.
With the happy stories there are also some sad ones. Also in assessment while assessing a family we found out that they could only afford to feed their family one meal a day, which was hard to hear, however the family were still very healthy and happy. There was also a woman who said she could get free health care at hospital but could not afford the bus trip there.
Its stories like this that can be distressing so its good to prepare yourself for the good and the bad. For you to realise that even though you are there to help you cant always provide the miracle cure. However, we have noticed some change to the villagers, after a health promotion workshop a father wiped his child's nose with a tissue and put the tissue back in his pocket, which is an amazing improvement from sucking it back. Again this made us all realise we can't change a village but we can make a holistic impact upon their lives.

One of us lost a set of undies the the wash at the hotel as it was taken in with the towels from our rooms. After frantically running down they found the staff and through pure hand signals and body language were able to explain the situation. The staff ran off giggle (of course) to return with her set of undies all clean in a bag. If you're worried about the language barrier the use of hang signals and body language work are universal.
On a bus trip out to one of the villages, one of us tried taking their tablets through their scarf..... Just to show you how tired you may get working up in the villages.

With one week under our belts we have all become a closer group, and are able to get along extremely well; from girlie nights, to mending each others pants (mama bear) this week has left us all comfortable with each other. We discuss our bowel movements over dinner (obviously) and cheer when can do one but most importantly this week has left each and everyone of us as a master of the infamous squat toilet.

Be prepared to laugh at yourself as you will make a mistake which was obviously a mistake (just from sheer exhaustion), you will pronounce words wrong and have the locals in hysterics but, most of all you will have an amazing time and we all can guarantee that.

Until Next week happy nursing/midwiferying.

Written by Gabby
Photos by Chief photographer Josh

How many women live here? Laotian village life for Griffith University students

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Business School Community Internship
WRITTEN BY: Elise Stephenson, Griffith University

Bamboo student huts, Tana Highschool: Tana Highschool is the second of two high schools in the Pak Xeng region. The school opened in 1993 with three classrooms. Since then, four more have been built and there are currently 27 teachers working at the school. This year there were 622 students, 261 of which were female (41%). Because there are not enough classrooms, the students are split into two study periods – one the studies in the morning, and the second that studies in the afternoon.

Those who don’t fit into the bigger and better-equipped Sop Jak Highschool, come to Tana. At Tana, 175 students have built their own student accommodation on the hills – basic bamboo huts that are crammed and often at risk of burning down. Each week, 16-20kg of supplies have to be brought from home by students in order to have enough food and supplies to last the week with the average age of these students are 11-18 years. The benefits of Tana Highschool include that it has road access, is fairly central, and can do much more than other high schools in different regions. Their main need is one repeated by many schools – the need for more classrooms and teachers, as well as toilets and a better water supply.

Abandoned student housing on the Tana Highschool property: At this school, the principal claimed that after highschool, 60% continue to stay in their home village, helping their family. It depends on the family situation greatly as to what their future prospects are. Those who continue their education past highschool have the choice of college or university. A college course takes three years (such as attending a teachers college), whilst a university degree takes on average five years. According to the Director of Education, Tong Pan, eight people finished university and 80 finished college from this region, however I am unsure as to whether this is the total number or just the number in the last year.

Village Meeting, Pak Xeng District, Unknown Village – 25 June 2013: We passed this particular village on our way back from Tana Highschool to our homestay village, Na Pho. The village had recently been located to this “on road” location with the support of the government – it used to be located “off road”, over large mountains. It was interesting to compare this notion of being “on road” – in western countries the equivalent to being “on road” would be to be “online”, where you have greater communication opportunities and access to trade. Being “on road” is the next best thing here!

In this village there are 111 families, approximately 700 people in total, with 320 women. I loved how when visiting villages or high schools or anyone we were always told how many women they had, like this. According to the tour manager Graham, this was because developmental organisations like the UN and the Asian Development Bank require them to consider gender equality and the empowerment of women in their village activities. The main job in this village is as farmers and they follow an animist spirituality. Many of the farmers have retained their farmland, 4-5 hours away across mountains and rivers – imagine traveling that every day, often by foot! However the villagers stated they were very, very happy to be living where they were, and a kind of unity and good-feeling was evident among the villagers.

They were also very keen to hear about our lives. It was this reciprocation that I loved most, and they were evidently very interested to hear about us too. When they heard that we sometimes woke up between 9-11am, you should have seen them laugh! The looks of disbelief were great and I could tell we all felt a little guilty telling them this, particularly when most of them woke up at 3-5am each morning! In the end, our tour manager Graham summed it up nicely, for both them and us:

We, like them, work hard.
We, like them, work to improve our lives.
We, like them, care and love for our family.
We, like them, want to meet someone we love.
We, like them, want to start families.
And we, like them, want to be happy and want the best for our families.

I think all this resonated, as we all shared a moment of quietness and reflection. Are we really that different? Probably not. Our differences can be great sometimes, but in the end, we’re fallible and fantastical and we’re all the same.

Griffith University Business School: Part 1 from Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Business School Community Internship
WRITTEN BY: Elise Stephenson, Griffith University

Griffith Business School Community Internship in Laos in June 2013. Part 1.

Ministry of Tourism – Meeting in Pak Xeng District Office, 25 June 2013
There are approximately 52 villages between the Xeng and Seuang Rivers. Pak Xeng is in the Luang Prabang Province and due to the mountainous terrain visits from tourists are restricted. There is a priority placed on protecting the rivers and local waterfall areas in order to attract tourists – nature and culture are Pak Xeng’s primary attraction. Almost 100% of tourists come from Buffalo Tours (the company we were traveling with) and almost all are Australian. The Ministry of Tourism office in Pak Xeng currently has no internet or website, which restricts knowledge and the marketing of the region, as well as making it difficult to attract tourists who want highspeed wifi and internet connection. From questioning the Tourism officials we gathered that a development plan for tourism has recently been enacted to encourage more families in villages to host a guesthouse for tourists.

Another line of questioning was regarding rubbish collection. Currently, the situation is very basic where rubbish is brought to separate locations/offices and eventually put in the ground or burnt. There is no good recycling system and in many of the more regional villages, rubbish collection is virtually non-existent. As tourists care about rubbish and the cleanliness of the environment, this must be made a priority in order to attract more visitors.As a coincidence, there is not a strong ecotourism system.


Some other challenges include that because tourism in the region is still so young and not enough tourists have passed through yet, there is no defined structure for dealing with and fully accomodating and promoting tourism. There is also no specific sites or cultural traditions to stand out to tourists. Added to this, guest houses don’t know how to market and reach tourists due to a lack of internet and the activities of the region’s Tourism Ministry is restricted by its meagre staff of 4-5 people.

Ministry of Education – Meeting in Pak Xeng District Office, 25 June 2013

We conducted this meeting with the Director of Education for the Pak Xeng region, Tong Pan. Currently there are 248 members/officials of education (100 of which are female) in the Pak Xeng District. Primary education is currently compulsory and Tong Pan claimed that 96% of primary-aged children attend primary school ( a figure found to be suspicious by our tour manager, Graham). From this September, the first three years of primary education will be fully subsidised by the government. After this, many students drop out to return to helping their family farm or because simply can’t afford to continue an education. Major challenges include that students have to travel great distances (some of more than 3 hours each way) to get to school, often through mountainous terrain and fluctuating weather. Alongside this, there is often not enough family funds and so attendance rates drop. Currently secondary education costs around 60 000-70 000 kip per year (approx. USD$25, with average family income USD$30-100 per month). The cost of textbooks and pens add to this economic burden and in primary school one textbook generally services 3-4 people, with secondary and highschool textbooks available for rent at 2000 kip per year (approx USD$0.25).

Abandoned classroom at Sop Jak Highschool

Ministry of Education Office
Other challenges include a lack of resources, primarily teachers and classrooms. Ceilings in particular are a priority as the current construction of classrooms means that they are very noisy and hot, making it difficult for students to study effectively. These other challenges – physical, involving property and buildings – present a unique problem for sustainable tourism and volunteering projects like ours. As our tour manager Graham noted, each year a school or university group comes and does a fantastic job working with the villagers to build new classrooms or dormitories or facilities. Yet when a new group comes back the next year, the buildings have been poorly maintained – with lighting systems broken, classrooms left in a filthy and unkempt state, and trash lying everywhere outside the doors of buildings in a great mess.

Tong Pan, Director of Education, Pak Xeng Region
Is this the fundamental problem of these villages? Or is it the fundamental problem of these volunteering programs? Originally we were to go over and help build an artesian water well in Sop Jak village. However, the government would not approve our involvement for the reasons that they have seen what has happened in Cambodia – it has become overrun and riddled with NGOs and international aid organisations. Instead of able-bodied and willing villagers working to improve their village, their families, their lives, these foreign groups of people come in and do it for them. Is it any wonder there is no sense of ownership and responsibility? I agree that it is difficult to simply hand over the money to these projects and hope that the money will go where it is needed, yet maybe that is really the best option. I believe that interfering, even in a ‘friendly’ way like volunteering, is not the sole answer. Help, yes, but don’t do things for people who can do them for themselves, and to better effect. It actually reminds me very much of a musing by Henry David Thoreau: “No doubt another may also think for me; but it is not therefore desirable that he should do so to the exclusion of my thinking for myself.”

Likewise – we may do things for Lao and these villages, but it is not therefore desirable that we should do so to the exclusion of them doing things for themselves. The best possible interaction we could have had in these villages, was the impact we had. We went in, we observed and interacted, and we offered our support for a project which they need, which they can do, and which they will do, with our support from the sidelines.

Sex Education in Laos - Griffith University students

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing & Midwifery
WRITTEN BY: Honnie Bilston-Norup, Griffith University

You may want to go to the toilet, get a snack and a drink, this blog is a long one...This week has seen us much further up into the mountains so it is much colder at night, but is hot in the middle of the day, it's not unbearable though. Even though we are way up in the mountains, we are STILL dwarfed by even higher peaks. Awesome view to wake up to every day. We had the luck to stay in a village which has a type of meeting hall which is like a massive stand alone verandah and the locals cover the floor in mats for us to sit on. This facility also has 4 English toilets very close by! I am sure our homestay families wonder why we are up and out soooooo early in the morning...it's for the toilets of course!

This place offers us a perfect environment to sit for our meals and gives us a chance to stay together and talk. We have been able to really reflect on our practice this week as individuals and as a group. It is easy for the talk to flow when you are surrounded by mountains and a bubbling stream nearby. We have become even closer as a group this week.

We have done some massive clinics, it was nearly overwhelming to be greeted by over 600 students at one of the high schools. It is astounding that the majority of these young people have to live "on campus" in order to gain an education. They live without parental guidance; cooking and cleaning for themselves and are most certainly self-directed learners...I not only take my hat off to them, I should take a page out of their books as well! How I would love to show some of the teenagers I know this school. We did run clinics for people who were identified as having some sort of ailment at the schools, but the focus was on health promotion. The sheer number of young people living in grass type huts with a couple of toilets between them obviously has hygiene and infection control issues. We covered cough/sneezing etiquette, hand washing, teeth brushing, spitting where people do not walk and of course, everybody's favourite health promotion to teach...SEX ED!

We bought the town out of condoms again and had students write their questions on paper to avoid personal embarrassment. The questions were very interesting, some we had to defer to a facilitator or mentor to get the right info out! We sincerely hope that our health promotions will result in better health for the community. I wish I had lots and lots of money to finish their clean water projects and complete school buildings for them. I feel so humbled by what they make do with and how I take for granted the relative excess that I have at home. Hmmmmmm.

It is always funny to watch everybody's reactions to the mature age students! I am 42 and have a husband and 5 children, this is always considered bizarre as you are only a student here when you are young and before you are married. The disbelief increases 10 fold when they find out our husbands are caring for the children back at home! Much much much laughter from the women...and sometimes very loud "Oh's" of concern...sorry fellas.

We love it when some children and youth come up to us and want to practice their English, we give them as much time as we can and are amazed at how much they want to learn! They do their best to help us with our dismal Lao pronunciation...we really are trying to get the difference between husband and father right...it's a biggie to get wrong!

INTERMISSION

Long truck rides between villages have resulted in some old fashioned fun being resurrected...those of us my age and older will remember making "Mintie Snakes" at parties as a game and the longest "snake" got a prize. Katrin had a kilo bag of Minties with her that she shared out and it reminded me...next minute we have all the interpreters and health workers competing during the ride for the longest snake. Val, one of the facilitators made it very interesting and very competitive by offering a toy kangaroo as a prize. I am ashamed to say, my fellow Australians...that I lost by 10mm to Kon Keow an interpreter and he had even torn his snake... Aaaaarrrggghhhh! This is NOT the end, I assure you, I will keep trying, although it turns out that my greatest adversary does paper craft as a hobbie. Lets face it, the kangaroo will be staying in Laos.

Our work in the clinics this week has seen our clinical assessment skills further consolidated and our Lao greatly improved, we are even picking up what is wrong with the client before the interpreter tells us. Go us! We have been able to send another 3 people down to Luang Prabang for surgery, two hydroceles and one hernia, so satisfying. We have heard some very crackly and wheezy chests and detected a number of high temps with no obvious cause which has given us the chance to really think systematically to get to the root of the issue. Sadly, like our own GP's and Nurses at home, sometimes you just have to put it down to a virus. Goitres were very common this week so we packed a lot of little bags of iodised salt, they are something you don't see every day in Oz.

A large proportion of complaints though is "Jep El" which is lower back pain as they don't know about safe lifting techniques, so we cover it now in our health promotion and get to clown around again, faking "Jep El" with our bad lifting examples. We get the laughs and they get the message...win/win. We saw a cyst on a gentleman's back during the week that is the size of a cantaloupe, it is so heavy for him to carry around, but he couldn't take time away from his farming or family in order to go to hospital for it to be removed. These are moments that make us all very sad as it would be fixed so easily in our country. We have to be content with the knowledge that we are doing the best we can and working within their means and culture.

Our homestay villagers trust the "Griffith" team so much now that we have people turning up at breakfast, lunch and dinner for assessment and treatment. It is an honour to have that kind of place in their hearts.

We were treated to cultural treats yesterday, we got to have a go at weaving in Sop Chek (my poor lady wouldn't have been able to sell the scarf I made a mess of so I bought one off her...I will never be a weaver). It was so special to buy scarves that were made right there. We then were farmed out in groups of 3 to learn Lao cooking that would be had for our lunch. The language barrier was a bit of a problem for me as I thought she wanted me to bash the chicken meat into submission (in my defense, there was chicken mince in a bowl nearby so I thought that was what I was supposed to end up with) unfortunately, it also ended in me bashing her cutting board into submission which resulted in wood chips in the chicken. She discretely removed my disaster and we learned to cook a yummy chicken and tomato sauce for rice...yum yum yum!

Then onto bamboo rafting down the river back to our village. Some of us nearly capsized in the rapids...now I know my roomie Emma is a true friend, she grabbed my lifejacket to stop me falling off and I don't mind saying I did the same for her when she was headed off the other side! Pats on the back for all as everyone else looked after each other as well...just wanted to blow my own trumpet.

We packed our weekend backpacks and trekked off to Luang Prabang where we are right now having a good rest...so tired from such a big week. We are enjoying hot showers, even though a lot of us shower and wash our clothes in the river every day, it is a decent walk over rocks and fences to get there and back. It's Chinese New Year so tonight should be pretty colourful at the night markets. Most of us are finalising our souvenirs for our loved ones and enjoying some of the western food that the restaurants here have to offer. I finally went to the Phousi Markets today which is the locals shopping area...what an assault to the senses; the noise, the smells, the sights and colours. I am in danger of experiencing everything from behind a camera lens as I want to show everybody what I have seen and don't ever want to forget anything. Live fish, meat chopped up on counters, thongs, thongs, thongs and more thongs! It was amazing and I am so glad I ventured out of my comfort zone to go there.

I am really missing my family as is everyone else and I cannot speak more highly of this bunch of people I have had the joy to be with on this prac. There is always a hug and some high quality counseling on hand whenever it is needed!

Love from everyone and me.

Laos baby named after Griffith midwifery student!

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing & Midwifery
WRITTEN BY: Rosie Haynes, Griffith University

As we headed to the final villages this week, the terrain became more challenging and the first day of the week saw one of the trucks get a flat tire. However this was the least of our worries as on the second day of the week the road was impassable and the group was forced to walk 3km to get to the town. Chipseng was horrified that we had to walk, even after we reassured him that it would be fine and that we wouldn't mind a bit of a walk (the people in Laos find it difficult to understand the western view of doing exercise for fun).

The walk was quite spectacular and finally allowed us time to stop and take pictures of the scenery. As we first got off the truck and started walking several people in the group started singing si-quay, si-quay (right-left, right-left) and our equipment was transported via boat to the village. This also highlighted the real issues presented to the villagers in regards to health care because they live in such an isolated and rural area.The last few days of the clinics also saw some interesting cases with a lady coming in complaining of a sore ear and upon further inspection we saw what looked like a spider web inside her ear, leading to some odd questions.

As it was Bec's birthday during the week, the group had bought her a chocolate cake to share after one of the dinners. After seeing this, our amazingly talented local cooks decided that for the next night they would bake a traditional mut fuc cake. What originally looked to be a strange combination of pumpkin and coconut custard turned out to be an even better cake than we had the night before. The cooks on this trip have been amazing, turning up with a delicious warm meal three times a day, and during our last few days at the village they pulled out some of their best dishes, including their version of KFC! On the first night at the village this week they cooked us a traditional meal including whole roasted fish (freshly caught), lots of sticky rice and fresh salad.

On our last night in Pak Xeng, after a tour of the hospital, the midwives were informed that there was a lady who was in labor at the hospital. After speaking with the attending midwife at the hospital, it was found that the students help was greatly appreciated. Our dedicated midwifery students stayed up for the majority of the night with the lady at the hospital until she gave birth at 4 in the morning. During the labor there was a bit of negotiation between our midwives and the staff working at the local hospital, who wanted her to deliver in a set of what looked like medieval stirrups.

Over breakfast the next morning we heard stories of the night before and the three midwifery students huddled up on one of the wooden beds at the hospital and also of how attentive and dedicated the father was. At the end of the night, the mother decided to name her new girl Laura, although their pronunciation is closer to Lorla.
The morning of our last day at Pak Xeng the village threw us another basi ceremony and we gave out gifts to our translators, cooks and drivers who have put in so much work for us these past few weeks. Now that group A is back in Luang Prabang the only thing we have left to do is meet up with group B, visit the hospital and give them a bit of a hand over of the things we have done.

I know for me this has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I have learnt so much from my time in the villages and not just about rural and community nursing which was our primary aim of this placement. We have learnt of the importance of community and looking after the people around us. We have learn the art of non verbal communication, and the universal language of laughter as we have blown bubbles for the children in the villages and given out balloons and stickers though most of all we have gained an appreciation for what we have.

Local homestay for Griffith University in Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Honnie Bilston-Norup, Griffith University

Well what a week we have all had! The trip in the back of the truck from Luang Prabang to Pak Keng, our first homestay village, on Sunday afternoon was filled with a sense of excitement, nervousness and just a little motion sickness! We drank in the beautiful rural scenery as we wound along the rocky and dusty mountain road which hugged the Mekong River all the way. Again we were struck by the contrast of modern road making machinery and the traditional fishing boats on the river and special stick like grass drying by the side of the road in readiness for hand made brooms that we were soon to see in every house.

Each village we passed had us wondering if it was like the one we were going to and we were greeted by the beautiful smiling faces of the local children waving and yelling Sabai Dii (Hello) as we bumped past. Our arrival at the village was marked by children lined up in their uniforms with bouquets of flowers for us, it was such a boost to be made so obviously welcome. The Chief gave a very warm welcome speech and we in turn had the opportunity to introduce ourselves to the village and I think they were surprised that students in Australia can come in a wide variety of ages...myself being one of the oldest of the group. This fact was considered quite strange by my homestay "mother" especially once she found out I have five children and a husband!

We settled our luggage at our homes and got down to the business of packing the clinic supplies ready for the next day. That night we were treated to a party in the village hall with lots of dancing and laughter! This really helped break the ice, they love to dance and our group can really bust a move too!

We provide clinics in a different village every day and they are a well oiled machine. Each day after bringing our supplies in boxes we set up all of our desks and waiting areas, but every day starts with health promotion first. The focuses are teaching the importance of hand and oral hygiene to the kids and adults as well as Mum and Baby sessions covering techniques to assist with easier and safer birthing. All of the sessions, although containing vital info, were delivered in a light hearted and friendly atmosphere which really engaged the recipients! Laughter was abundant as it allowed the clown in a lot of us to come to the surface...there are a lot of clowns here ;) These were all well attended and the knowledge imparted will be the thing that will reap health benefits long after we are gone.

We separated into reception, basic obs, assessment and pharmacy to keep everything running smoothly. The interpreters, Lao health workers, facilitators and RN mentors were by our sides whenever needed to help us make the most of our resources and to put our clinical assessment skills, medications knowledge and critical thinking to good use. Each person attending the clinic is like a puzzle, some simple and obvious, others more complex, but we got the hang of it thanks to the amazing teamwork. Other than providing these services, the day that I will never forget was when the group was able to finance 3 people to go to hospital in Luang Prabang. If we weren't here they would not have been able to receive that medical attention. What a satisfying and productive clinic week for all.

The food in the village was excellent and our western origin was not forgotten - this was demonstrated by the provision of white toast, nutella and ovaltine! The rest of the food was traditional and delicious, plenty of fresh vegetable, meat, fish and rice dishes with some yummy sweet sticky rice parcels in banana leaves for dessert.

River swimming: I heard it described as the best shower ever, one person nearly floated away, but was quickly caught by her foot! Our presence in the river was considered quite amusing by the local children...you are welcome kids! Glad we could provide a giggle! :)

At the end of our working week we were given a "Basi Ceremony" by each host family which all of us attended, it was so special as we were blessed by prayers and had cotton blessing strings tied on each wrist by each villager in attendance, each saying an individual blessing for our health, wellbeing and success for our studies and futures and then we would all move to the next house for another...it was a progressive party and was just as exciting each time, however, it did result in a MASSIVE amount of cotton strings. Just when we thought we had had just about as much excitement as we could take we found out that there would be a ceremony for everyone in the village hall that evening. So many blessings, so much laughter, so much dancing and games. I have never laughed so much in my life, I felt so alive and connected to the people I am working with and with these Lao people I had only known 5 days! Talking to my fellow students, it was clear I was not alone. These people have so little but give of it freely in appreciation of us.

After that exhausting week of work and no showers we were keen to head back to town for hot showers and rest...but once down here lots couldn't resist the Elephant Village and Tad Sai waterfalls. WOW! Riding on the head of an elephant down muddy hills and through the river. It became apparent that a nursing student is still a nursing student even when riding Elephants...and where there are elephants, there is elephant poo...lots and lots of poo.. and where there are nursing students and poo (OK I started it) there will be attempts to devise an Elephant Bristol Stool Scale. Enough said. Next, onto a long wooden boat up the Khan river to the waterfalls to see the baby elephants in training and then back to reward our elephants with big bunches of bananas, some education on the plight of these magnificent creatures in this county then a fabulous lunch at the camp restaurant overlooking the river. Unforgettable.

Sex education at a high school is planned for during the week so three went off to buy 150 condoms...this was a major curiosity for the pharmacy staff as you can well imagine...three beautiful young ladies asking for that volume...they first said it was for work and then realised it could have possibly been taken the wrong way, awkward! They finally got them to understand it was for an education session and things seemed to be going smoothly, until they found out you could only get them in strawberry and rose...they just bought strawberry and 450 toothbrushes and left. Well done ladies!

Facebook: there were massive surprises for us there, It appears that our home towns have been copping a beating weather wise whilst we were in our Laos bubble in the mountains! Some of our campuses are shut because of it.

Haggling update: yep, exponential improvement...we totally have the hang of it now. We have perfected the "halve it" and the "walk away" to get fair prices and you never get more than two steps before they say ok!

Oh and we brought some rain with us, it's the dry season here, but we made it rain! Aussie Aussie Aussie! Ponchos have been purchased and we have had some exciting drives in the truck on the muddy roads!

Time for people to stock up on the essentials for the clinics, i.e. chocolate, lollies and chips (to my children who are reading this...not me!). Goodbye internet, hello dust and another 5 days of nursing adventure (this paragraph courtesy of Emma Biggs my roomie).

Until next weekend!